Link: How To Structure a Quest like The Witcher 3
One of the key skills in crafting a satisfying fiction is to be able to âzoom outâ, to see the underlying structure of a story. This is doubly the case for interactive fiction. You must balance story branches, consider when to add sections of other, non-narrative gameplay, ensure that no pacing-destroying shortcuts are possible, and look carefully for dead ends. You must understand which nuggets of content are critical, and which arenât.
I recently mapped out the entire possibility space of The Witcher 3âs best side-quest for Wireframe magazine, then simplified and analysed it in order to learn what makes it work so well. This exact process, but in reverse, is also a great way to construct or analyse a quest of your own invention. Consider the advice in the article linked below, then try your hand at making a very simple flowchart like figure 2 for your own story. Tweak it until youâre happy it meets the standards set in the article. Once you have that, consider making a separate, more detailed chart like figure 1 in a fresh document. Then dive into the actual writing!
Anyway, hereâs the article. Word to the wise, donât get bogged down reading figure 1, in print it was intentionally meant to be unreadable.
